Polish Visa Waiver Supports U.S. Jobs, Key Ally

Polish Visa Waiver Supports U.S. Jobs, Key Ally

Article excerpt

Imagine you're planning a long-awaited vacation to London and you
discover that you need not only a U.S. passport but also a British
visa. Wouldn't you be surprised and a little offended that our
friends in England require you to run the bureaucratic gantlet,
especially when British citizens can enter the U.S. without doing
the same?

Surely, when two nations have enjoyed such a long and deep
relationship, their citizens don't need to make a big fuss over
visiting each other's shores.

That is precisely how many Poles feel today when they plan a
visit to America, only to learn that they're required to have a
visa. Americans, by contrast, can visit Poland solely on their U.S.
passport -- 21 years ago Warsaw's newly installed democratic
government repealed the visa requirement for U.S. visitors, a
reflection of the friendship the countries have shared since
Revolutionary War days.

Leading voices in the tourism industry and the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce agree: It's well past time for American lawmakers to match
Warsaw's welcoming attitude and add Poland to our Visa Waiver
Program. Not only would such a move make for good foreign policy, it
would serve to strengthen our national security and economy.

First and foremost, including Poland in the Visa Waiver Program
would make it much easier for Poles to visit the United States.
Millions of Polish tourists travel the world each year, but fewer
than 100,000 of them come to our shores. Yet in 2010 alone,
countries with waivers were the largest source of inbound overseas
travel to the U.S., generating 17 million visitors and $61 billion
spent in the tourism industry, in support of 433,000 U.S. jobs.

As the only European Union nation that continued to grow during
the 2008 crisis, Poland boasts one of Europe's strongest economies.
Current projections from the European Commission for 2012 show an
increase in the annual growth rate from 2.5 percent to 2.7 percent.
At a time when the U.S. economy continues to struggle, it only makes
sense to encourage tourism from a friendly nation whose citizens
enjoy significant disposable income.

Moreover, Poland has proved to be a stalwart ally of the United
States. …